South Africans
Protest ‘Poor’ Service Delivery
Tony Ekata, Pretoria
South
Africa is witnessing a spate of protests over ‘poor’ service
delivery. The riots in Siyathemba, Mpumalanga Province have been
on for three days, during which foreigners were targeted.
A Rwandan citizen in Cape Town has also claimed that he was
tortured by the police because of his ethnic status.
Earlier in the week, local residents petrol-bombed and robbed
some shops belonging to Bangladeshi nationals.
The attacks have raised new concerns about the possible outbreak
of fresh xenophobic assaults.
Police in Siyathemba have been placed on high alert to ensure
there is no further damage to infrastructure after the town’s
library was torched on Tuesday.
Demands
The protesters are demanding the sack of the mayor and his
entire cabinet, whom they say are incompetent.
They are also calling on President Jacob Zuma to redeem his
campaign pledges and promises made when he visited the region
after his election last year.
Yinka
